The effects of cultural values and human values on food waste avoidance intention and behavior: a value, attitude, behavior perspective

This study examines how human values and cultural values influence prosocial attitudes (PA), the intention to avoid food waste (IAFW), and food waste behavior (FWB) within the framework of the Value-Attitude-Behavior (VAB) theory. In addition, the mediating role of food surplus (FS) and the moderating effect of planning routine (PR) are analyzed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms shaping food waste--related behaviors. The limited number of studies that jointly investigate these two layers of values within a single model constitutes the primary research gap addressed in this study. Accordingly, this research extends the VAB framework by incorporating culturally grounded variables and planning-based self-regulation factors, offering a theoretical contribution to the literature. Data were collected from individuals aged 18 and above living in T & uuml;rkiye (n = 452). PLS-SEM results indicate that altruistic and biospheric values significantly and positively affect PA, while collectivism and long-term orientation have significant effects on both PA and IAFW. FS partially mediates the relationship between IAFW and FWB, whereas PR strengthens the link between intention and behavior. The findings demonstrate that the VAB model-when expanded with cultural and planning-related constructs-shows strong explanatory and predictive power in the context of food waste. Overall, the study provides valuable insights for policies aimed at promoting sustainable food consumption in culturally cohesive societies, suggesting that enhancing community-based awareness programs and planning habits may effectively reduce food waste.

Journal

FOOD QUALITY AND PREFERENCE

Year

2026

Volume

138

ISSN

0950-3293

eISSN

1873-6343

DOI

10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105838

WoS UID

WOS:001649323200001